BEIJING, China – Canada’s Women’s Olympic Team punched its ticket to the gold medal game at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, downing Switzerland 10-3 in semifinal action Monday (Sunday night in Canada).
• Marie-Philip Poulin (Beauceville, Que.) scored a pair of goals to lead the offence. • Claire Thompson (Toronto, Ont.) recorded a goal and two assists, and Erin Ambrose (Keswick, Ont.) added a goal and a helper. The pairing are the highest-scoring defencemen ever in a single women’s Olympic tournament (Thompson – 2-10—12; Ambrose – 4-5—9). Both also finished +8 in the game. • Brianne Jenner (Oakville, Ont.) also had a goal and an assist. Her late goal gives her nine for the tournament, tying the all-time record (Meghan Agosta and Stephanie Marty, 2010). • Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, Ont.), Blayre Turnbull (Stellarton, N.S.), Renata Fast (Burlington, Ont.),Emily Clark (Saskatoon, Sask.) and Emma Maltais (Burlington, Ont.) also scored goals. • Sarah Nurse (Hamilton, Ont.) had four assists. Nurse has 12 helpers and 16 points in the tournament, tying Hayley Wickenheiser (2006) for the all-time assist record, and sitting just one point back of Wickenheiser’s scoring record (2006). • Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, Ont.) recorded three assists. • Turnbull, Sarah Fillier (Georgetown, Ont.),Mélodie Daoust (Valleyfield, Que.),Natalie Spooner (Scarborough, Ont.),Laura Stacey (Kleinburg, Ont.) and Jill Saulnier (Halifax, N.S.) had one assist each. • All 13 Canadian forwards recorded at least a point. • Ann-Renée Desbiens (La Malbaie, Que.) finished with 10 saves. • Canada outshot Switzerland 61-13.
Next Game: Gold medal game vs. USA/FIN – Wednesday, Feb. 16 (11:10 p.m. ET/8:10 p.m. PT)
Quotes: “I think in the first period, we were a little disconnected on our breakouts, and we straightened that out. Some of our penalty kills where Switzerland was able to score a couple power-play goals, it wasn’t that we were disjointed as a penalty kill, I think we were still thinking offensively. We were trying to make too many plays in the defensive zone and not focusing on our clears. When you don’t play with that urgency, teams will make you pay for it.” - Head coach Troy Ryan (Spryfield, N.S.) on a slow start and special-teams play
“We all can move our feet and that is one of our biggest strengths as a defensive corps. As ‘D’ pairings, we really complement each other and, at the root of it, I honestly believe we’re having so much success because we’re all so easy going. We have so much fun when we play and support one another. Everyone goes out each shift and plays free and knows that the girls on the bench are supporting them.” - Fast on the strength of the defensive unit
“Our line [Maltais-Saulnier-Stacey] has been working really hard through the whole tournament and just trying to do the right things. It feels good to be rewarded as a line, not just as an individual. It is really cool to get your first goal and really great to share the moment; you could see just how happy everyone was and it’s a great feeling.” - Maltais on scoring her first Olympic goal
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